Patching Up the Blood
by Dark Qiviut
Summary: Following the shock of Shadow's death, Amy went into a state of mourning. Through this process, she found out that luck, confidence, friendship, and love might help her cope with her grief more than she realized.
1. Never a Bright Moment

**_Disclaimer:_**_ Sonic the Hedgehog is copyrighted and produced by Sega. The plot is the only thing that belongs to me, and no profit is made in any way through this story._

* * *

_**Author's Note:** This takes just after Sonic Adventure 2, where Sonic and his friends had just left the main room of Space Colony ARK.  
_

* * *

**Patching Up the Blood**

**Never a Bright Moment**

The people on Earth were rejoicing like it was a universal New Year's Eve party.

On international broadcast (or a broadcast that Eggman himself hacked into, whichever any of you believed it to be), they all watched both Sonic and Shadow defeat the ARK prototype and used Chaos Control to transport the space colony to its normal orbit. That was when the crowd realized that the Earth was saved from ultimate destruction. Everyone immediately turned from worried and nervous to jubilance and relief, as people either danced on the street, kissed their loved ones, honked their horns, sprinkled confetti, or prayed to those superior than the rest. It was a very huge party out there right now, and it could be found at just about every corner of the Earth.

However, during the midst of all this excitement, they all forgot about two things: What happened to both Sonic and Shadow, and was going on inside the ARK?

* * *

For the first time since they explored the area, Space Colony ARK felt lifeless. 

Wherever they walked, they noticed no signs of activity. The military robots from the Guardian Units of Nations had either been shut down or destroyed in the raid. The menacing machines used for guarding the station for any future invaders could be found in one of three ways: tilting downwards while being in midair (similar to petals of a flower wilting), shattered and burnt into millions of pieces, or squashed and flattened. Along several hallways, the light bulbs that shone brightly since their arrival (since Eggman activated them, to be precise) flickered continually. And a bit of a chill possibly entered the structure, since some form of artificial wind wafted across the group every now and then, making the environment uncomfortable for some of them… specifically Sonic.

"I can't wait to be back on Earth again," shivered the "blue blur" as he crossed his bare arms over his chest, one that consisted of the same goose bumps his arms had, although not as tingly. "This place is starting to become too cold for me."

"That's new," said Eggman jokingly, who was walking behind Sonic. "Our blue hedgehog, Sonic, daring and defiant, feeling cold and 'defenseless.'"

Sonic looked back upon hearing he word "defenseless." Boy, how much he hated that word so much… especially when it came from the words of his biggest rival. A word, one of weakness and hopelessness, could instigate such annoyance, such bruising in his ego.

However, he came to his senses – sort of – and quickly calmed down; just like any enemy, it was expected for him to be toyed with every now and then.

_"__I should know better when and if he ever plays tricks or jokes on me like that."_

Logic had room for defiance, but common sense had none; so that a hedgehog for his belated considering.

"Well, at least he's being impatient," added Knuckles as he walked a little ahead, carrying the Master Emerald with his right hand, "so he's definitely in his normal state."

Wow, _that_ was unexpected, he thought subconsciously.

Eggman scoffed upon hearing Knuckles's statement and, with his slim right foot, kicked over one of the flattened robots.

"Yeah, normal as he can be," the scientist quipped, giving the destroyed machine a side-glare.

For the first time in his life, he had never imagined that robots were such deterrence. These G.U.N. robots were machines that Eggman _loathed,_ rather than being liked as usual. Pests, they were – absolute pests. It was absolutely abominable for machines to be designed and constructed for the purpose of what was supposed to be "protection." Corruption was mentally tasty, yet so physically terrifying, too. Hmm… maybe he could steal some of the robots from one of G.U.N.'s military bases and reprogram them to where they were at his allegiance rather than the government's.

Not right now, though. It was best to consider it later… the time when he absolutely needed to conquer the world.

"Hey, knock it off, you two," scolded Amy while walking along Sonic's left. Her arms were crisscrossed authoritatively, her green eyes glared sternly, and her eyebrows furrowed. "Sonic has had a rough few days, and he needs a little break now and then, so lighten up with the jokes, will ya?"

"It's okay, Amy," shrugged Sonic with a light-hearted wave with his left hand, ignoring the tingling sensations that zoomed up his bare arms and chest. Goosebumps were so foreign for him, and the feeling was not so pleasant. "I need to be hit with a joke every now and then. Nevertheless, thanks for defending me."

"Hey, it's my job to keep my eye on you, didn't ya know that?" replied Amy with a smile.

_"__Oh, boy,"_ thought Sonic and rolled his eyes. How many times he heard _that_ from her before, but he might as well enjoy it while it lasted, perhaps.

"Oh, how sweet," teased Eggman and played with the left side of his moustache with his left hand. Such an innocent posture he was in – it was a total shock since he was the _enemy_ of the group… Not. "Sonic and Amy are playing 'kissy-face' with each other."

"Oh, so they're on a date now?" teased Rouge, her big teal eyes gazing slyly behind her. Do not blame her for acting like this; it was merely natural for her to look at people like that, especially in a mood to poke a little bit of fun at someone. "I never knew that."

"Hey, cut it out already," interrupted Sonic impatiently. "I don't mind being teased, but not right now and not when it gets _this_ personal." He then looked back and whispered, "No offense, Amy," in her right ear.

"None taken, Sonic," answered Amy with a whisper of her own, before looking at Eggman crossly and saying, "Don't even try it."

Eggman did nothing except look up at the flickering ceiling and whistle innocently.

Well, except the "innocent" part, of course.

Unfortunately, neither Sonic nor Amy comprehended as to why or why he was whistling, but that did not stop them from looking at him with eagle eyes.

Everyone, however, _did_ understand Eggman's behavior, but looked ahead so Sonic and Amy would not cast them looks of suspicion, too.

From Sonic's right, Tails, however, could not resist a chuckle as he covered his snickering mouth with his right hand and held the controls of the Cyclone with the other. He might be Sonic's and Amy's friend, but he longed to crack a joke at them, too, mainly Sonic, since they were so close friendship-wise. Nevertheless, he decided to wait. Right now, getting back to the shuttle was his – as well as the others' – main priority.

His mood quickly turned curious upon turning his head to the glass windows at the right-hand side. The Earth below looked bright and shiny, similar to a round sapphire glistening in the summer sunlight. Clouds encircled the atmosphere of the blue planet, especially over the continent of Africa. From what Tails could depict, he noticed every continent, from North America, to Asia, even Australia from the lower right-hand corner. Only the sheet of ice called Antarctica was missing. Curse the ARK for floating at such an angle where he could not see it, and he was interested in spotting it, too.

_"__Maybe, if I could tinker the controls one day, I could detour one of the satellites to where I actually _can_ see Antarctica from outer space,"_ the two-tailed fox thought with interest, but a loud yawn followed. He was certainly not doing _that_ today.

Sky blue eyes wavered a little more towards the right and at a specific area. Between the Earth and the bottom of the window panel were two dim, transparent layers of gold and pale yellow ambient light, and from what looked like an aura aiming away from him, it came from the ARK towards a cloud at the equator in the form of a faint beam.

Tails quickly looked down at the floor (although keeping the tops of his irises at the scene), went into a pondering position, and caressed the ends of his chin with a free finger. There was something interesting regarding this fading beam of light, he could tell; but there was a small problem. He was having trouble recalling anything familiar with it… if there definitely was anything he could recognize. If only he could jog into his memory bank and try harder to remember it.

Although he could not see it, Sonic noticed Tails's posture and turned to him.

"What is it, Tails?" he asked.

"I don't know, but I think I see some line of light over there." The fox looked up and pointed at it with his right index finger.

Gripping his left arm tightly, Sonic walked to the window and looked at the light. Upon seeing it, the chill that rushed down his arm vanished, and his green eyes became solemn and sad, something Tails did not notice.

While they gawked at that beam, the others had already gone ahead a few yards. But when they realized that they were not with them, they looked back and saw both Sonic and Tails stare down at some form of target.

"What's going on, you two?" asked Knuckles, the Master Emerald still in his possession.

"We're looking there, Knuckles," replied Tails and pointed at the trail, his gaze frozen upon it.

Knuckles followed the gesture, and his violet eyes quickly became fixed on it.

Everyone else noticed and followed their attention towards that fading light trail, too.

"It's fascinating, although it's disappearing," said Rouge.

"I have to agree with that. It is a nice sight," replied Knuckles, although keeping a close watch on the Master Emerald. Rouge might not be interested in the gemstone anymore – or so she claimed – but coming from her, you would never know if she was telling the truth or not.

"Ditto what Knuckles said," concurred Eggman, although he did not obtain a calm, happy expression at all. In fact, his face was a mixture of both curiosity and solemnity. "But something tells me that there's something more with this light."

"There is," replied Sonic.

The group turned to him, where they (finally) noticed his prolonged sad expression.

"I know whom that light belonged to," he croaked and began his short story.

"The moment I arrived back at the colony's entrance, I looked behind and noticed that Shadow was missing. Panicking, I floated around the orbit to find him, and a few more moments later, I saw that light trail facing toward the Earth and followed its direction. As I started flying, I noticed a figure plummeting towards Earth, and I dove quickly to try to save him. When I was close enough to see the person completely, I realized who it was."

His eyes began to become watery.

"The figure belonged to Shadow."

Everyone gasped.

"Yep, it was Shadow," he said and laughed mirthlessly. "Once I saw, I went into a quicker dive and hoped to get to his reach, but…"

He was choking on potential tears now.

"But what?" asked Knuckles impatiently.

"…But I lost my power of being Super, and I was transported back here."

Upon saying that, the bottom brim of his eyes produced tears.

"If I was only able to remain super for a few more seconds…" he gave the glass panel a hard pound out of frustration, "…then I would've been able to save him."

He could not hold on anymore as he let his tears finally run down the sides of his face.

Everyone looked at him with a lot of remorse. Usually, whenever they saw Sonic, they saw him as being strong-willed, prideful, and being able to move forward in his life. Only this time, the pride was not there, he was apparently stuck with not being able to save Shadow, and his strong-willed attitude that filled his conscience was nonexistent. All of it was replaced with guilt, regret, and sorrow. Never in their lives did they ever see Sonic express himself like this, not even Tails, and he knew him better than anyone!

Speaking of Tails, he quickly had the desire to comfort him, so he climbed down the Cyclone and placed his left hand on his right shoulder.

"Don't beat yourself down, Sonic," he said kindly.

"But I could've saved him, Tails," argued Sonic, tears continuing to fall down the sides of his muzzle. "I was not able to save him, and I couldn't."

Tails mentally beat himself for his accidentally tactless sentence, but continued nevertheless.

"Sonic, there will be times where you will always encounter circumstances where you will not be able to save someone."

"_Ahem_!"

Tails ignored Eggman's interruption.

"None of us wants that to happen, but it did, and it will likely happen again. But you can't beat yourself down for it. You will have to cope with it and let it go." He quickly paled and shook his head after realizing what he had just said. "Sorry, I shouldn't have said that."

"_I should learn more about how to deal with tact,"_ he added to himself frustratingly. Hitting himself in the head with Amy's Piko-Piko Hammer for his own stupidity sounded like a really good idea right now.

Sonic, however, shook his head kindly and wiped the tears off his eyes.

"It's okay, buddy," he said reassuringly. "I understand what you're saying, and I thank you for it." He looked back down at the planet. "I shouldn't have to constantly beat myself down for not being able to save him… although I still believe I should."

"But you didn't for that long," argued Rouge. "You just started grieving."

"I know. I'm just being a little bit figurative," said Sonic, his gaze still at the Earth. "I will continue to mourn for his loss, but I should also try to move on and keep some of the positives that Shadow did in me. Besides," he added, "I don't believe that Shadow wanted me to save him, so he can finally be in peace."

"Perhaps, you might be right," said Knuckles. "Maybe, that's a mystery that may never be solved."

"Or a mystery that Shadow wants to be remained unsolved," added Rouge.

"Quite likely," agreed Tails and climbed back in the Cyclone's cockpit.

"Hey! Where did Eggman go?" he asked everyone afterwards.

He soon found out as static was heard from the machine's built-in radio system.

_"__Sorry that I couldn't attend your memorial service for Shadow, but I have emergency errands to run back down at Earth, ones that are more important than you realize."_

"What plans?" asked Sonic peculiarly as he and everyone else looked at the machine.

_"__Why, planning to conquer the planet, of course,"_ came the sneaky reply.

"Just as I thought," muttered Sonic.

_"__I heard that, hedgehog!!"_ the scientist thundered, causing everyone to jump slightly. _"Well, it was nice seeing you again. Until next battle, ta-ta."_

With a loud crackle of static, the doctor cut off the message.

"Well, that's just great," snorted Rouge, cross from the doctor's audacity. "At least he should've stayed to honor Shadow."

"Well, always expect this from him, Rouge," advised Knuckles as he looked at his left.

"You can bet that I will," she replied in an annoyed tone and huffed in disgust.

"Never mind him," said Sonic as he turned to the group, cutting off the conversation between the echidna and the bat. The last thing he wanted to discuss following a brief time of mourning was calculating when Eggman would set up his next attack. "C'mon. Let's return to the shuttle and go home."

"I can't agree with you more," said Knuckles and eyed the Master Emerald. "I want my island to float in the sky again. Only _this time_…" he glared at Rouge, who looked up at the flickering ceiling and pretended to be the innocent bat girl that would not harm a wasp, "…I don't want any interruptions."

Sonic and Tails laughed from their behaviors, specifically Knuckles's. His overprotective attitude was just like the usual echidna that they grew up with.

"Well, let's get going," said Sonic and turned to Tails. "Lead the way."

"Roger," responded the fox as he subsequently passed everyone and headed off towards the entranceway at the other side of the corridor.

Sonic and the others followed him, anticipating their arrival to the shuttle.

However, as everyone approached the door, Sonic (who was behind Tails) stopped walking and looked around.

"Has anyone seen Amy since we started walking again?" the hedgehog asked.

Everyone gave a quick glance around them and shook their heads.

"She might've stayed at the area where we looked at the light," explained Tails.

"I'll check it out," Sonic decided briskly and ran back the way he came.

Sure enough, when he returned, he noticed Amy looking out at outer space. To be specific, she was looking at the transparent streak of luminosity. Her gloved hands touched the glass with utmost care, like a mother carrying a small child; and her eyes looked very morbid.

Sonic had a feeling what triggered her expression, and he started to become very sad, too.

"It's about Shadow, I believe."

Nevertheless, he wanted to be sure, just to make sure he was not thinking incorrectly.

Amy nodded, depressed. "As you told your tale, it made me think about my talk with him prior to you two fighting the Final Hazard, when I was able to convince him what Maria's true wish was – that it was to help others rather than what Shadow perceived it to be."

A tear suddenly rolled down the left side of her tan muzzle.

"It gave me some thoughts of him."

She looked down at the floor, and a teardrop that hung on the bottom of her cheek fell to the floor, splashing lightly.

"I miss him already, Sonic. I wish I could see him one more time."

She closed her eyes as she started crying silently.

Sonic looked down again, feeling more mournful than before. He never enjoyed grieving very much; he always felt that it would hold him back. That he would not be able to progress forward in life.

Nevertheless, he felt lamenting was the right thing to do. Grieving was a way to make someone feel better, and he knew that it showed compassion for someone, even for the ones mourning alongside him.

"I miss him, too, Amy," said Sonic kindly as he wrapped his right hand across the back of her head and gently placing it on her right shoulder, letting her know that he was giving her support and sympathy. "I miss him, too."

For Amy, this was comfort through her sobs: the calm, compassionate words from her friend, from the hedgehog that usually ran away from her. This was the time to finally let her sudden sorrow out, as she wrapped her arms around him and cried even more.

Sonic always felt uncomfortable whenever she – or anyone else – embraced him, but he did not care. Then was Amy being hyperactive and wanting to wrap her hands around Sonic like a scarf. This was different. She was in no mood to chase him around _at all_, she needed comfort really badly. And he did so by stroking the back of her head as they gingerly returned to Tails and the others.

* * *

"Where's Sonic?" wondered Knuckles as he sat in a red window seat in the middle of the shuttle, the Master Emerald occupying the aisle seat on his left. 

"He should be back soon, Knuckles," replied Tails as he sat the cockpit and prepared for the shuttle's takeoff. "He might be still looking for Amy at the moment."

"I agree with him. Just remain patient, he'll be back soon," agreed Rouge, who occupied a seat on the other side of the aisle.

"I'll try," said Knuckles as he leaned on the window jamb with his right elbow and placed his chin on his palm. His look of persistent anxiousness remained on his face like a stain on a carpet.

However, moments later, he looked at the window and noticed Sonic walking toward the shuttle, comforting Amy along the way.

"Finally, he's here," the echidna grumbled to himself.

The door from the front of the shuttle was slowly pushed open, and both Sonic and Amy went inside.

Tails heard them enter and turned to his right. "Hi, Sonic. Hi, Amy," he greeted, and Sonic (a gloomy look on his face) nodded back in reply. "You two are mourning Shadow?"

"Mm-hmm," said Sonic as he closed and tightly locked the spaceship door.

He aided Amy to a red window seat that was located both in the front and a few feet behind Tails. Sonic sat at the aisle seat beside her.

Tails looked back and sympathetically glanced at Amy. From what he could depict, she was hit very hard by Shadow's death, possibly by either hearing Sonic's story or going through the aftereffects of his death.

Afterwards, he cleared his mind and proceeded to continue playing with the controls until everything was ready for the shuttle to leave the ARK.

"We'll be clearing for takeoff as I get everything set," he told everybody before pressing a button on the right side.

Around them, the doors entering the portal quickly closed, and through the cockpit windows, they could see the hatch opening slowly, creating a runway.

Tails touched another mechanism with his left hand, and there was a loud hum coming from the back of the rocket. From what everybody could tell, he touched the ignition that activated both the engines and the afterburners.

More controls were then switched on, and Tails put his hands firmly on the wheel.

"All right, guys!" he exclaimed, causing everybody, sans Amy, to pay attention to him. "Hang on tight; we're ready for takeoff!"

He pressed a pedal with his right foot, and the shuttle began zooming down the runway at a very high speed, about three hundred miles per hour, to be more precise. Before everyone knew, the shuttle was flying further and further away from the ARK.

Everyone that sat in chairs adjacent to the windows looked out and stared at the Earth with absolute awe. The blue aura glowed brightly, showing signs of dignified excellence. The water looked clean and fresh; the continents showed signs of life, even if some of the areas looked very arid; and the clouds danced and swirled like they were twisting their hips underneath a gigantic, but invisible, disco ball. Although it was nice watching it from the ARK, it was even better while flying around it.

Tails enjoyed the view, for he occasionally glanced over the wheel to witness this spectacular; but he mostly kept his eye on the controls and tried not to get _too_ distracted by it.

Sonic looked down at the planet through the cockpit window as he sat in the aisle chair. While paying attention towards the planet, he was starting to feel a little better after grieving with Amy for Shadow and his death.

Speaking of Amy, he started wondering how she was coping with the aftereffects of Sonic's "rival's" passing, so he turned to his left, where he noticed she was looking out the window.

"Are you feeling okay?"

Amy nodded briefly, her eyes watching the planet. "I'm doing better, Sonic," she replied solemnly.

Sonic left it at that as he resumed looking straight ahead.

She, meanwhile, continued to look at the planet with gloomy eyes and once again noticed the faint beam of light far away. It was slowly disappearing from view, but she was still able to notice it. Unfortunately, tired eyes quickly control of her mind, body, and soul, replacing the grief she obtained while aboard the ARK, and as a result, she closed her eyes and fell asleep.

If she had stayed awake for about one more minute, she would have noticed a small, bright glow of pale yellow light breaking through one of the clouds…


	2. From Beneath the Sea

_**Disclaimer:** Sonic the Hedgehog and its related characters are copyrighted and produced by Sega. The plot and any potential fancharacters are the only things I own, and no profit is being made in any way through this story._

* * *

**Patching Up the Blood**

**From Beneath the Sea**

The rocket flew around Earth nicely, about ten to fifteen miles out of Earth's gravitational pull. Red fire burst out of its engines, silently burning as future trails of transparent smoke vanished into the blackness of space. If they were flying in the atmosphere, that roar would have echoed very loudly. Alas, they were still in outer space, and as there was no air to compress here, no sound was produced. Yes, it was completely silent up here. It really was not like all those sci-fi movies you would watch, where many loud, thunderous explosions shook up the solar system. That was fake; this was real.

Inside the rocket, however, there was air, and as a result, made it possible for sound to be heard. The pressure in there was similar to Earth's, particularly its unique gravitational pull. However, how was this rocket able to have gravity while they were flying in outer space? Well, maybe technology really was becoming advanced, possibly more than last century.

There was not much self-activity within. Rouge the Bat was currently looking out the window, leaning on her right elbow and rocking her right leg (which she crossed moments earlier). She seemed to be pondering a bit, but what? I will leave that up to you.

Knuckles acted like a baby. His sleeping physique slouched halfway down his chair, and he was snoring long and loud. Drool fell down the left corner of his mouth, similar to what some humans might have done. Yes, we knew who you were. You might have slept and drooled, too. And if you did, you were not alone; this strong, muscular echidna was there to "join the club." But wait, there was more. Beside him was the Master Emerald, glowing strongly in the rocket, and his left arm was wrapped around it. He might have been asleep, but he was still the Guardian and had to protect it… even if it meant pretending the Master Emerald was a temporary teddy bear (a teddy bear with a shell smooth like glass yet hard like a rock, to be exact).

That left Sonic, Amy, and Tails, and nothing really changed. Amy was still sleeping, Sonic eyed her concernedly every now and then, and Tails – awake as ever – held the controls.

The whole room was very quiet, and yawning did not change much to the awake occupants. It merely made everyone around him or her, sans the gold fox, even sleepier. Sometimes, a whole adventure could really wear someone out, huh? It was definitely tiring Sonic tremendously, as his blue eyelids frequently hid his green eyes. He was not going to make himself sleep, not now, anyway.

"You're fighting sleep off, are ya, Sonic?" asked Tails with a bit of a cunning grin, his big, blue eyes still looking out the cockpit window.

The blue hedgehog yawned. "Yeah, a bit," he replied drowsily.

"Why?" The fox looked back and blinked twice curiously.

Sonic shrugged his shoulders slightly. "Not so sure," he replied. "Maybe, it's just me being the stubborn ol' mule that I am."

"Mule?" teased Rouge, her blue eyes flashing. "Planning to undergo a species-change sometime?"

Sonic looked back at the cunning bat, eyes indicating annoyance and exhaustion. "Please, Rouge," he said in a half-snap, "save the jokes for later, because they're not funny right now."

"I was trying to lighten up the solemn mood, Sonic," exasperated Rouge, and with a "Sheesh," she returned to watching out the window.

Sonic sighed and looked down remorsefully.

_"__Maybe, I was a little hard on her. I'll apologize later."_

Pretty much that was going to be the case once they eventually touched down—

_"Solemn…"_

Yes, what about it?

_"She indicated the mood being solemn— Wait."_

His now sad eyes were on the verge of tears again.

_"So, this is what the aftereffects of mourning's like, huh?"_

He felt like laughing monotonously. A laugh, but without emotion… This was never a good feeling to have.

"_Well, I'm not likin' it one bit."_

Yes, but like mourning itself, this was a process for recovery and cherishing everlasting memories. It was sad, yes, but normal.

_"Yeah, but how long am I gonna be like this until I completely recover?"_

There was no real answer, other than as long as he wanted, perhaps.

"At least I'm happy in helping Shadow out in accomplishing one thing: achieving Maria's true wish," he said at last and looked up.

"And you should be happy," said Tails as he looked back, his smile compassionate. "And like what you said on the ARK, cherish your memories of him within you and be proud of them."

Sonic finally sincerely and nodded before yawning his head off.

Tails laughed, his focus beyond the cockpit. "It seems like your body can't stay up anymore," he observed half-teasingly.

"Very much," said Sonic sleepily, and before anything more could be said, he closed his eyes and hung his big head.

The "blue blur" was finally napping.

And with Rouge deciding to grab some shuteye a moments before him, that left Tails being the only Mobian awake.

"Rest tight, everyone," he whispered and pressed a switch located behind the wheel. Suddenly, all the lights within the rocket (except in the cockpit) were shut off, leaving the passenger room consumed with darkness.

Tails looked back momentarily, sighed happily, and returned to facing the cockpit. "I know I'll be needing sleep eventually," he murmured and glanced at the clock located above. "I haven't slept in about two days, and the adventure is starting to make my body exhausted, even though I'm mentally awake." A sigh followed. "Maybe, a day or two off from extensive experiments at the workshop is due. Right now, however—" he slightly turned his wheel to the left, causing the rocket to veer more towards the Earth, "—home, here we come."

* * *

The rocket reached the Earth's atmosphere about two hours later, and with some clearance from the dispatcher, they were to touch down at the space center near the United Federation's Station Square. 

Meanwhile, Tails was having some fun. It was nice flying about at over 1,500 miles per hour at about 70 kilometers high. Then again, he always loved flying, and rockets were no exception.

Speaking of the rocket, the lower the altitude, the slower the speed. Once the rocket hit 55 kilometers, they traveled at about 1,675 miles per hour, and this trend continued whenever it slowed more and more as they flew closer to the surface. At about thirty kilometers, they were traveling less than 1,000 miles per hour, and the destination was just about 1,050 miles away; so, they were surely going to land soon.

Once they were in the weather zone, they traveled at about 750 miles per hour. At the same time, they encountered what was known as turbulence; the wind bounced off the wings, causing the rocket to shake slightly. The jitters might have been small, but they were enough to wake everyone up.

The moment the light hit them in the eyes, they gasped out of shock. Apparently, both being asleep and traveling in space altered their eyesight, so now, they had to adjust to the sunlight while within the Earth.

"Good day, everyone," said Tails as he faced away, fighting the urge to giggle. "I hope you all had a nice nap."

"We did," replied Knuckles groggily and yawned, "until we hit turbulence."

"This is normal when flying about twelve kilometers or less off the ground," explained Tails. Although he loved explaining technical details regarding flying, he wanted to teach them lessons later.

"So, when will we land?" asked Sonic curiously, stretching his spiny back.

"About an hour from now," answered the golden fox and pressed a small button above with his right index finger. "We'll be turning right momentarily, so hold on tight."

Before anyone could respond, Tails turned his wheel a little to the right, causing that side of the rocket to dip and the other to rise. About a minute later, he put the wheel upright, balancing the rocket once again.

Despite being awake, Amy paid no attention to everything around her. Sleepiness aside, she was still depressed. Weak, glossy eyes stared at the ground outside, and she blinked very slowly. Her lips showed no emotion; they were as flat as lines.

Tails side-glanced at her. "You're still mourning for Shadow, aren't you?"

Amy did not reply, as she remained looking out depressingly at the window.

_"__Just as I thought,"_ he hunched. They might not have seen or talked to each other all that much, but he could tell she needed comfort. Unfortunately, he was piloting, and this rocket had no "autopilot" system, so someone else had to console her.

That "someone" did: Sonic could tell she was falling into that deep hole of hopelessness, something that occasionally happened during the process of mourning, and he grasped onto her right hand with his left one for comfort. He might have been new to mourning himself, but alas, his conscience was always signaling him what to do when it came to others around him.

Amy was still and (from his view) unemotional, until a soft "Thank you, Sonic" was uttered, even though she did not turn to him.

"You're welcome," smiled Sonic and looked ahead, feeling satisfied with the results.

The pink hedgehog enjoyed the consolation, despite it being only a grasp of a hand. It made her a little bit better, and it allowed her to cope with the loss of Shadow, even if it was temporary. Still, she knew this was not going to be enough for her to feel completely better. The sadness was there. It was merely hibernating.

* * *

Tails's calculations proved true. About one hour later, the rocket was about two miles from the space station. It was now traveling at a slow 340 miles per hour, and they were about 1,275 feet high off the ground. 

The fox flicked various mechanisms and buttons as they continued their descent to the space station. Descending with the Tornado was tough enough. How about a rocket shuttle, one that he had never driven before prior to about a couple of days ago?

"_Still, it has never been easier. Must've been all those days I occasionally work as a mechanic."_

This was in free time and not with machinery like this, however. Besides, now was not the time to mull about working as a mechanic during his free time. He had a rocket to land!

When the shuttle was about one mile away from the destination and less than 900 feet in the sky, he fidgeted slightly in order to remain on his chair, picked up a radio that hung on his right, and brought that piece of equipment to his mouth. "We're approaching your destination, sir. We ought to arrive in a couple of minutes," he informed as he spoke into it. While he already had the clearance, it was best to be certain.

A moment went before the guard responded.

_"__As before, the runway is prepared and will be waiting for you."_

"Roger. Ending transmission." Tails turned the radio off and hung it back on its pedestal. "Hang on tight, everyone! We'll be hitting the runway in a moment!"

Everyone sighed in relief. They were almost home, and that meant seeing so many familiar faces, eating fresh food, and sleeping comfortably. It was safe to say that the heroes deserved it.

About a couple of minutes following the certain clearance from the guard, the shuttle arrived at the runway, and they were low and slow enough to land without overrunning it. Tails kept lowering the plane slowly but surely until its wheels lightly touched the ground. A pedal was pressed, and flaps on each wing jumped, allowing the shuttle to slow down.

Clapping from his friends followed after the shuttle transitioned itself from a fast aircraft to a slow rolling vehicle, and Tails sighed in relief. Just a few more turns in the runway, and they would be in the preparation to arriving in Station Square in about one to two hours time.

However, the one fear came true as they approached an ending of the runway.

The fear was being surrounded a crowd of overzealous people. You know who they were. They were fanatics of respective Mobians, government agents, and reporters. Everyone who would swoop onto them like magnets and interrogate them with a barrage of questions, answers, and squealing from the fanatics. They just hoped there were not any _conferences_ waiting for them, too!

Thankfully, none were scheduled… yet, but they were nevertheless barraged by questions. Mobians like Knuckles did not take the attention very well.

"Don't come near me, okay?" the red echidna snarled at their direction. "I'm in no mood being interviewed right now. HEY, HANDS OFF THE MASTER EMERALD!!"

A thin, tall reporter dressed in a black cloak slunk back, fearing for his safety. _"Nudging the big Emerald was not a really smart idea,"_ he thought. But if they did not believe that Knuckles was cross at them for not giving him space, imagine how mad he would be if they even _tried_ to pry the Master gem away from him.

"How much strength did it take you to fight that nasty lizard on the ARK?" asked another thin, black-cloaked reporter, this time to Sonic.

"It took a bit of strength," replied the hedgehog with a yawn, "but the Chaos Emeralds helped Shadow and I out battle the prototype."

"Shadow?" the reporter enquired.

"He was the black hedgehog that was on the news for the past several days," explained Sonic.

The reporter gasped. "…So, THAT'S the hedgehog that we saw, not you."

The blue hedgehog nodded, his spikes waving in the wind. "We were both enemies at one point, but turned into friends before the battle against the prototype."

The reporter pondered momentarily before asking his next question. "And where is this Shadow? Why isn't he with you?"

Quick as a flash, Sonic's mood changed from bright to solemn, and he hung his head in sadness. "Gone," he whispered.

"Huh?" the reporter wondered, unable to hear his interviewer's answer.

"Shadow's gone," he replied and looked up, eyes becoming glossy. "Shadow sacrificed himself after we used Chaos Control to put the ARK back in orbit. All that we found of him was a ring that he always wore around his wrist."

The reporter turned sad himself. He, too, felt the effects of mourning, despite never meeting the black hedgehog physically. Still, this spirit, this mood, of some kind made him feel like the black hedgehog was there. Maybe, it was just the wind. Maybe, it was not. It could sway both ways.

Whatever it was, the reporter hunched that Sonic was done interviewing and let him pass.

Next in line was Amy Rose, who was hanging her head and crying silently. The reporter knew why instantly; Sonic's motive to his tears were apparently related to hers: Shadow's passing. As a result, he let her pass, too.

One by one, the others were either interviewed or allowed to continue down the line to the exit. At the front of the space station, two limousines waited for them. The super-stretches were white, bannered with the United Federation's colors (red, white, and blue), and round. The homecoming was not going to be boring, that was for sure.

"Well, this is the end of the line for me, guys," said Tails, who was now on his Cyclone.

"Where are you heading off to?" asked Rouge.

"My workshop in the Mystic Ruins," was his reply. "I want to put my Cyclone away and hopefully repair it in the near future. Not to mention I live there, so my bed is waiting for me." A light smile broke his lips. "I hope to see you all soon."

"We will," promised Sonic, now all cheery again, and stuck his right thumb up to show support. "Maybe tomorrow or the day after, I'll stop by to help out."

"I'd like that," said Tails and motioned everyone to back up.

"_Tornado transformation_!!"

He pressed a button upon his command, and the blue-painted Cyclone soon retracted into a floating bi-plane with four wings that looked like they shaped in an "X."

Suddenly, his fast plane that was once floated off the ground was darting away from the space terminal and out of sight.

"SEE YA!!" he yelled back and waved his right hand as he vanished into the mountainous horizon.

Once he was gone, the Mobians climbed into their limousines (Sonic, Amy, and Rouge entered the first one; Knuckles – Master Emerald including – climbed into the other), and they drove away from the station.

It was starting to feel and act like the Earth before the chaos, something they were used to. All those reporters and fanatics who hounded on their backs were like the ones they remembered. The gravitational pull, which was weak when they were near the ARK, was strong enough here, and now they no longer had the fear of being lofted away into space. In addition, they received the celebrity treatment again (especially Sonic, who usually thrived in the spotlight), something that was amiss during their last few troublesome days.

Yes, it was so great being home again.

* * *

While it was daytime in the United Federation, nightfall blanketed the other side of the planet. The quarter-moon glowed brightly in the sky, brightening the sky a little. Below, the water laid still and flat, the moon's reflection bright and splitting the black sea in half. Peace and quiet at sea – it was always paradise, especially at night. 

Wait a minute. What was this? If the sea was supposed be peaceful and quiet, why was there commotion interrupting the tranquility of the night? Not just a collection of loud clamoring… but _on a ship_? And not just a ship, either? A _pirate ship_?

"I've caught a big one!" shouted a tall, ragged old man with a voice that gave the impression of him drinking up to four bottles of rum a little while back. He was holding some old fishing rod that was looked weathered, felt clammy, and smelled like a shark covered in gorilla droppings!

"What is it, ol' mate?" interrogated an old-looking, bushy-bearded man once he ran to his comrade's side.

"I'm not sure," grunted the fisherman and pulled with all his might, "but I think I caught ourselves a nice juicy fish to eat!" He nearly lost traction, but kept his feet on the floorboards. "WELL, WHAT'D YA STANDIN' THERE FOR, YA LAZY BUM!? HELP PULL ME PREY TO THE SHIP!!"

The bushy-bearded figure watched dumbly for a couple of minutes until his brain got the message. "Right. Sorry." He wrapped his arms around the fisherman's torso, and they started heaving comically, hoping to pull their catch to the deck.

Then, another slip occurred; the water lightly crashed behind them, forcing them to lunge forward a little bit.

Fortunately, they kept their balance and remained on deck, but their grunts soon became loud shrills for assistance.

In what felt like forever, about a minute during their loud calls for help, more pirates arrived. Some jumped through the floorboards, others dove from the crow's nests, while a couple of other pirates slid through windows. They ranged in several sizes and different levels of hygiene – from tall, short, fat, thin, smelly, clean, strong, weak, whatever. In addition, they were all men… and temporarily stupid.

"QUIT STANDIN' THERE LIKE A BUNCH OF IDIOTS!!! HELP US GET OUR CATCH OUT OF THE WATER!!" the duo yelled.

The pirates snapped out of their "stupid" spell, and they latched themselves onto the rod.

"Now, on the count of three, we pull!" called the ragged fisherman. "One, _two_, THREE!"

Because more pirates pulled on the rod, their strength multiplied. Upon the rally cry, there went one collective heave, then another, and another. Finally, on their fourth tug, they pulled their catch out of the water and rested it on the deck.

"_What's all the noise out here_?" boomed an old voice. Out from a nearby shadow was another tall pirate, but older and wiser than the others. Other than having his face matted with curly black hair, he was finely dressed. Covering his chest and arms was a dark red shirt, followed by white stockings that trailed down his legs, black shoes on his feet, and a monocle resting on his left cheek.

"We just caught some prey, captain," said a pirate timidly, his high voice shaky.

"It's just that we needed the whole team to bring it here," said a fat pirate in a low tone and extended his left hand to show him their catch.

The captain's eyes noticed the catch immediately and walked to it. Adjacent to a pole was a small anthropomorphic creature with spines that bent downward when parallel to his spine and curled upward along the sides of his head.

The captain licked his lips. Their little catch was going to be really tasty. He could not wait to cut him open and roast him in a fire (a fire that had to be carefully built, for the wood was very flammable).

Unfortunately, they caught the wrong meal, as screams of fright echoed the night.


	3. Grief & Siege

**_Disclaimer:_**_ Sonic the Hedgehog is copyrighted and produced by Sega. The plot is the only thing that belongs to me, and no profit is being distributed in any way through this story._

* * *

**Patching Up the Blood**

**Grief & Siege**

Peace and tranquility had lasted here for a long time, but like everything around them, it had since vanished and was now desperately repairing itself to become what it once was. Invasions had caused mass panic ever since the doctor had his urges to conquer and become the Alexander the Great or Genghis Khan of the present. But if the legend of Alexander was indeed true – that the Gordian Knot really did mean it was possible to rule the world by untying it— If it still existed today, if the Knot was bound, and he was able to untie it rather than cutting it with a swift stroke of the sword…

Like the ancient monster itself, chaos had since ensued this great planet, the planet many before believed to be the absolute center of the Universe. All the screaming was malicious in hearing, yes, but as for the doctor, it was more satisfactory than gorging hot dogs in a twelve-minute eating contest. There he would be, fictionally standing on a thick, flat cloud that hung halfway up the Earth's sky. Evil laughter erupted from his big, wide mouth of his, causing mass panic from all those at his mercy.

And whenever there was a time to panic, it was now. Cold, brutal, merciless – these emotions dictated fright, anger, defense, and alarm. Some might have reacted differently, but for others, it was expected to those watching it all unfold nearby. Hostages were taken, if not temporarily, and it was certain that he – or should I say, "it" – would _love it_.

* * *

The limousines cruised down the elevated expressway, passing by cars, wagons, and trucks that were slower than a snail. Of course, they had proceeded with caution instead of taking chances and burst away. The limousine drivers provided this safety net by merely being more…"professional" by keeping _both_ hands on the steering wheel instead of having one lazily laying outside the window and maintaining traction.

"I wonder what Station Square'll be like when we get back," said Sonic to himself as he sat at the right side of the seat, his eyes peering out the door window and at the mountainous skyline.

Legs crossed, the white bat from across the limousine grasped a white teakettle from the table and poured into a small teacup.

"After bumping into all the news reporters at the space station, I think we already know the answer to your question."

"Oh."

The hedgehog suddenly felt a little silly, and he scratched the tip of his right ear.

"I forgot about them."

A smile crept across his muzzle.

"I must admit. I really missed all the cheering and 'Go, Sonic!' chants and will love hearing it again."

Rouge chuckled.

_Just like the Sonic I've heard back at headquarters._

"You sound as if you're back to normal."

Stillness crashed onto them.

At last, Sonic shook his head.

"I don't know, Rouge," he replied frankly and touched his chest. "I still feel some pain in my heart, and it's making me very uncomfortable, especially when looking outside…" he dropped his hand and looked up at the sunroof, "…or watching the clouds drift by."

"Why?" asked Rouge.

Sonic blinked as he saw a small, fluffy cloud hover high above him.

"Whenever I'm staring up there now, I think of Shadow. As Super Sonic, I saw him falling toward a cloud, and from the shine of light I saw, it was like he fell right through there and made it his coffin."

Rouge lowered her teacup, but she stopped short. Her big teal eyes glanced at Sonic, and she noticed the formerly unusual – while looking up, his green irises slowly sparkled in the sunlight.

_He really is not over it, and I don't think he will be over it for a long time—_

She looked back down at the table, where the tea plate and teapot rested.

—_Something that mourning always seems to do, I suppose._

She gazed at Sonic again and blinked blankly. Then, the bat eyed at Amy located opposite him, and instead of a partial mask, her sadness was easily noticeable. From her leaning forward; to supporting her big head by leaning on her arms (which were crisscrossed on the door frame); to her half-open, glass-like eyes. Other than either being honest or via underlying clues, Sonic's true emotions were quite difficult to find.

Amy's, though—

_She's really been hit hard by his passing for some reason._

She drank some more tea and side-glanced at Sonic, who was now eyeing Amy, too.

_And I think I know who else has the logic behind it all._

Teal eyes turned back to the pink hedgehog.

_It may be best to leave 'em alone; it's their business to deal with, not mine._

But a frown appeared on her muzzle.

_Still, I'd like to help them in coping with Shadow's passing, and hopefully pronto. From the looks on their faces and how they've acted lately, it's clear their methods of dealing with it are _not_ working._

One more sip of her tea, and it was finally placed on the table, the contents missing.

_Once I return to headquarters tomorrow morning, I'll talk with G.U.N. and ask them who Sonic and Amy can talk to. Because right now, they really need comfort._

After one last look at them, she closed her eyes and returned to napping.

* * *

If Amy had watched where she went, she would not have realized that she had walked into a room of light.

Around her, everything was white. From the floor, to the walls, to the ceiling, everything was one bright shade of white. Like a star this was, especially when staring at one. Bright and warm, this room released some form of illumination; if one could shut off one half of the wall, then you could see an aura, one so strong that it wouldn't completely dissipate until it was about five feet from the source.

But the source was everywhere, like a sphere trapping someone with no way to escape. No matter where Amy could go, this light source was still vibrant and warm. It was not _too_ warm, not like the "warmth" of a bright, burning star. Yet, it was bright, too bright for the eyes to temporarily cope with.

Therefore, she squinted until they were thin slits. Thin enough for her to see through the brightness, but not thin enough for her to have her eyelashes block her eyesight.

"W— What happened?"

Upon questioning to herself, the pink hedgehog blinked several times, and soon, her eyes adjusted to the surroundings. The moment after, she gasped.

"W— Where am I?" She bobbed her head side to side and saw nothing but white.

Her answer: a long, deep echo of her own voice.

Curiosity peeking, she cupped her hands around her mouth.

"Helloooooo?"

Another echo, but it was more high-pitched.

"Anyone heerrrreeee?"

Another resonation with the same pitch.

"Looks like I'm alone."

**_Zap…_**

There went a sound, and Amy jumped. Around her, the light still shone _very_ brightly. However, something was amiss, she thought. She could not pinpoint it via a touch, but she was sure there was something different.

**_Zap…_**

There it was again: that zapping sound.

_Now_ she can tell what was going on!

_The light's dimming!_

The bright, warm light began losing its vibrancy. The comfort she felt earlier was not as noticeable, and the light, instead, was burning for the sake of retaining its power. As a result, she felt a little chilly, as shivers traveled through her spine.

**_Click._**

Amy gasped, and the blacks of her eyes enlarged.

The light had been shut off.

"_What's going on_?!" she cried out into the sudden darkness.

When she received no response (not even an echo), she began to run. But where could she run? She could not see anything; no more light seeped through, and she was only surrounded by light moments ago. There was nowhere for her to travel to. Nothing. Zip. _Nada_. It was all vast blackness in this dreadful place, and she—was—trapped.

Then, she stopped.

The pink hedgehog swore she could have heard something when she ran like a scaled hedgehog. It was quiet, but she could hear _something_. What was it?

Amy heard it again.

And again.

And again!

Then, she felt it.

Then, she smelled it!

Finally, she realized what it was.

It was blood.

Fresh, rich blood dripped down and landed on her arm!

Then went a loud, shrill scream. It lasted for a while, a _long_ while. About two minutes, give or take a few seconds. But it was soon drowned out when she felt something splash on her.

Although the screaming stopped, a yelp of surprise broke through her. The feeling… It was warm and sticky…and smelly?

_Please don't tell me—!_

She looked upon herself, starting with the floor, which was as black as everything else around and above her. It was so dark, she could not see anything, not even her feet. Nor was she capable of looking at her hands. One minute, she was engulfed in bright light – a gateway to Heaven, in a way – and now she was in a really dark and really cold place. Where and how could she survive in a place where she could not even know where her hands were? And after feeling blood drip onto her, too, no less?

Amy could not provide an answer. Tormented was her mind, her own self, and her own soul. She couldn't walk, see, and think. But she wanted to leave. Leave this place and make her life worthwhile!

Sometimes, life never worked out that way…especially with the death of Shadow.

"Shadow…"

Her eyebrows slid back, and eyes glossed with tears, the brief thought of yelling forgotten. No, she could not do this again. She should not force herself to dwell in a twisted, yin-yang-like world and torment herself with Shadow's passing. She didn't have to fall into a world equivalent to Hell! Recover, her soul exclaimed! Free her mind! Free herself from Hell's grasp and return to logic!

…Unfortunately, she could not.

And now she was engulfed in yet another round of pouring blood from above, and all she could do was scream the loudest scream ever. Very loud, very shrilly, like a tiny bell ringing at the speed of sound. All the blood on her was unbearable for her angry mind to handle.

She had to get out _now_!

"Amy?"

Like a shot, Amy rocketed up with a shout. Her face sweated, and she panted laboriously. The pink hedgehog looked nervously around. All she could see were Sonic, Rouge, and Knuckles (Master Emerald in tow) staring concernedly at her, and around them was the back of the inside of a limousine.

"Are you okay, Amy?" asked Sonic.

A sigh escaped her. Oxygen slowly flowed throughout her body, and the production of sweat decreased, allowing her to relax back down on the seat.

Her friends…

Sonic, Knuckles, and Rouge…

They were here…

With her…

By her side…

…Especially Sonic…

Sonic…

…Knuckles…

…And Rouge…

…_With_ her?

Tears began producing, and her eyes minutely glossed. They could not be here. They just could not be here with her— Supporting her! Like the friend she was!

She lunged out with a loud cry, wrapped an arm around Knuckles, and relaxed her head on Sonic's left shoulder. During the while, she began wailing loudly, as tears began pouring out of her big eyes and down both sides of muzzle.

The trio looked at each other with bewilderment.

"Don't look at me," said Knuckles after Rouge stared at him. "I'm not the one with mental trauma."

Mental trauma…

"Amy…what happened?" asked Sonic as he looked down at her sobbing self.

"I—I—I had a terrible nightmare!" sobbed Amy.

Knuckles and Rouge continued watching her.

"What kind of nightmare?" asked Rouge.

Amy did not reply.

At last, she stopped crying, leaned back on her seat, and took a long breath. Her eyes, though, remained shiny.

"As I slept, I found myself in a room of bright light. Everything around me was white, and it never ended wherever I looked. Suddenly…I heard faint zapping…and then…everything went d-dark!"

Her voice cracked and partially stammered, but the saline remained dormant on her eyes.

"That doesn't sound scary," said Knuckles.

"But it went _dark_!" Amy cried out and looked up at him. The sun shone on her like a spotlight on a stage. "I couldn't see anything!" She looked down again. "Not even my hands."

Knuckles attempted another remark, when Sonic reached out a hand and shook his head.

"Oh," Knuckles mouthed and backed off.

"Why is this happening?" Amy asked and picked up her gloved hands, which were dry and not stained with blood. "Knuckles, Rouge, Sonic…why did this happen to me? Why did I have this nightmare?"

Silence fell.

Then came a reply.

Then another.

Then another!

It repeated quickly, pretty much every second, if calculating it. And, boy, how _annoying_ it was! Make this noise stop at once!

Now, only if she could _find_ it—

_**Click…**_

There.

Amy straightened up her back and yawned while covering her mouth. Her bedroom was spacious in width, height, and length. Baby blue paint covered all over the wall, and the floor was covered with white wall-to-wall carpeting. In the center was a round table that stood three feet off the ground, its tabletop three feet in diameter and three inches thick. Shelves, a computer, and two desks stood alongside the walls, and the bed she was sleeping in was near a window that was covered by a drape.

_Stupid alarm clock._

Stiff body and all, she slowly opened her eyes. Yet, her body forced her to keep those big lids of hers to remain down. Sleep, it cried. It was too soon for her to get up now! Return to Amy, called her body and brain. She had to ignore that troublesome alarm clock.

Wait a minute.

That alarm clock…

When did _this_ happen?

Her eyes opened and gasped.

"I'm home!" she exclaimed in a hiss.

Her head looked about, a shocked expression on her face.

"Wait… How'd I get here?"

Immediately, there was the sound of a window opening.

"Good morning, Amy," said a voice.

Amy looked up, and poking in through the drape was Sonic.

"Good morning, Sonic," replied Amy casually and looked back down.

—At first.

"'Good morning'?" She looked up again, confusion etched on her face. "You mean 'Good afternoon.'"

Sonic pushed the stubborn drape aside, pulled himself through the window, and sat on the sill.

"No, Amy, I mean 'Good morning.'"

He pointed at the alarm clock, and Amy followed it.

The time was "8:09 AM."

"You were sleeping all day yesterday, so when the limo arrived here, I carried you out and put you in bed."

"Oh," said Amy.

Producing yet another yawn, she pulled her pink and blue quilt off her legs and began walking barefooted down her room.

"I'm gonna get some cereal and hot cocoa," she said, looking back at Sonic's calm face. "Want some?"

Sonic shrugged. "Maybe a cup of cocoa," he replied.

Amy was fine with the settlement, and she walked to the kitchen, which had a narrow hallway (for humans, apparently), white tiles that were covered by a red bathmat, and all the other necessary appliances. She opened one of the lower cabinets and grabbed some cocoa powder, a spoon, and a bowl.

"Now to get milk," she murmured to herself and put the stuff on the counter.

"Ya mean this?" asked Sonic, causing Amy to whip around. In his hand was a milk carton, which its content was half the gallon.

"Don't scare me like that!" she exclaimed.

Sonic chuckled. "Why not, Amy?"

"Because…" started Amy, "because…"

"Because what?"

Amy continued uttering "because," but that was all she said.

"I don't know, Sonic," she admitted finally.

"That's _it_? You have no reason why you don't want me to scare you again?" asked Sonic exasperatedly, and then, he made a sly grin. "Sorta like you scarin' me and clinging on my back all the time, huh?"

"Hey!"

"Well, ya gotta admit, you do that a lot."

Amy's surprised look turned evil.

"Keep it up, wise guy, and I'll do more than just cling on you."

Green eyes glanced downward and noticed something shiny and gold behind her back.

"Maybe we should just enjoy our breakfasts," he said uneasily.

Amy brought her hand back out.

"Good," she snipped with a sly grin and began preparing Sonic's hot chocolate.

A sigh escaped him. He did not have to meet her personal bodyguard…and he wanted to make sure he did not.

The breakfast was quiet, and it traveled at a normal pace. Neither said anything, they were minding their own business by finishing their own meals.

At last, Sonic spoke.

"Amy, Rouge's made us an appointment with a counselor today."

Amy stopped eating and turned to him.

"Since when?"

"Yesterday. Rouge made it for us."

A brief pause.

"Why?" she queried.

However, Sonic merely turned away.

Amy "oh'd" and looked down at her cereal bowl.

Silence. Something she was used to now. From her friends napping in the shuttle to riding in a submarine back in the city. Only a couple of conversations among friends and a shower of questions from curious reporters broke through the former eeriness.

Something. She needed to strike _something_. Just to break through the silence.

To break through from mourning for Shadow…

"Th-The meeting…" she began; Sonic turned to her, "…when…"

No. Not _this_ topic. Any topic but _this_…or better yet, any topic _not_ to deal with _mourning_!

"The meeting's at two this afternoon," said Sonic solemnly after drinking more cocoa.

He continued looking at her muzzle. All sad and glum, as if she had no drive to continue eating.

Green eyes turned to his cocoa. The surface of the liquid was still; he saw his reflection, one of solemnity and glumness. If his voice was depressing enough…

He put the cup down, the cocoa forgotten; he was no longer in the mood finishing his breakfast, anyway. The blue hedgehog could care less for cocoa that turned cold after, oh, so long. He needed to comfort Amy now.

With that, he reached out and caressed her left hand—

"No!"

—Only for her to wrench it away.

"Leave me alone."

Sonic stayed minutely stunned. "Amy… You sure ya wanna be alone?"

"Yes, Sonic," said Amy, green irises away from him. "I— I need to clear my mind." She turned to him and sternly said, "Alone."

The "blue blur" stayed sitting, but when Amy's look towards the bowl hardened, he agreed to let her be by herself…

Hopefully, for now.

"I'll be back at around noon," he said, pouring the rest of the cocoa in the sink and washing it down the drain.

Before touching the doorknob, he looked back at Amy, whispered words of encouragement, and darted out, closing the door behind him.

Whatever he said to her, she either ignored or did not hear. All she did was remain seated, her eyes weeping invisible tears. But she felt the saline, anyway. They were in her eyes, waiting to burst and land on the table, in the bowl, or on her gloves. But they went nowhere: There was no strength for her to cry. She felt weak and tired. Sleep, her body told her. Sleep away and distance herself from the chaos for once!

_Chaos._

The milk within the bowl suddenly swirled, removing her pink reflection.

_No!_ her mind thought in a shout. _I can't. Not now!_

She walked to the kitchen, unplugged the drain, poured the cereal in her sink, and turned the faucet on.

A sigh.

_Much better,_ she mused. _Calm down, Amy. Control yourself._

She returned to the living room, continuously thinking to herself, _Take deep breaths. In… Out… C'mon, Amy, you can do it. In and out, in and out._

Nevertheless, she couldn't. Her mind still racing, she plopped down on her bed.

Again, her body told her. Relax. Cleanse your mind, Amy, it said. Get some sleep.

She finally closed her eyes, witnessing darkness.

"I can't…"

Eyelids opened.

"I can't sleep," she said. "I don't know why…but I can't."

_Try again._

"A… All right, I'll try."

She shut her eyes again and fell into a timeless sleep.

_Chaos… Chaos…_

No reply.

_Your chaos…_

Same response.

_It's looming, Amy._

Amy mumbled.

_Your chaos, Amy. It's awakening within you._

Amy slept on her right side, still muttering.

_You can't ignore it, Amy. You know you can't._

"Not now…" she moaned and tossed to the left.

_No, Amy. Your chaos is calling you. It must awaken._

"Chaos… No…"

_Wake it up, Amy!_

"Leave me alone! Please!" she hissed with pain and began panting.

_Sorry, but I can't. I_ must _wake up your chaos. NOW!_

Amy continued gasping out of fright.

_Yesss, that's it, Amy! Breathe! Fall into the depths of chaos… Do it, Amy! Open your heart and unleash your chaos!_

"STOOOOOP!!"

She sat up with a start. Sweat dripped profusely down her face, from the sides of her huge eyes, onto her nose, and down her muzzle.

Not again! Not the nightmares. Not the ones similar to yesterday while sleeping in the limousine… She needed peace, not chaos!

Yes. It was okay. It was okay to cry. No longer did she have to worry. The nightmares were now over.

"But the nightmares'll RETURN!" wailed Amy to the emptiness of her baby blue house. "The darkness… It's returning! I don't want it to be dark!"

She bent her legs and sat in a self-huddle on the bed.

"Please… Somebody… Sonic, anybody. H— Help me…"

At last, the tears that were stuck inside her were unleashed. The sorrow and pain within her was finally being let go. Let it all out, Amy, her eyes encouraged. Do not bear this emotional pain inside her. Let it go. Free her from the anguish, the hurt. Be the once free-spirited, independent hedgehog again.

Tears silently streaming down her eyes, she raised her head and looked at the baby blue-painted door across the room. The door… It meant escape. Escape from her house, from Station Square… And it was the gate to freedom, too. Freedom from the torment that held her hostage since leaving the ARK.

Yes. Freedom. She yearned for it. A little quiet time _away_ from Station Square would help her.

Now, what about Sonic and the others? Furthermore, what to do about her meeting with the psychologist? Amy had to think of something.

At last, she found it.

_Now_ she could leave.

* * *

Across the world, the pirates screamed and panicked. Like cowards, they hid under the boards, in the crow's nest, and behind the wheel in the main room. It didn't matter where to look. Aside from the occasional frightened whimpers, no one could find them.

And for good reason, as round black robots fired lasers at the speedy hedgehog. High and low, lasers targeted Shadow. But all they ended up with was either air or wood.

Shadow continued skating around the remaining operational robot, which lacked the capabilities of shooting anything, much less a _blasted_ anthropomorphic hedgehog! Then, lasers still in hand, the robot fired, but upon releasing the red energy, Shadow jumped high in the air, missing him completely. Eyes hard on the enemy, Shadow raised his right hand high and swooped it down.

"CHAOS SPEAR!"

At once, several spears of golden light appeared from the sky and nosedived at the robot. It tried to fire at all the lightning-quick spears, but it was too much: The Chaos Spears struck the robot, breaking it apart and causing some useless pieces of machinery to jump into the sky and land into the sea.

Once the fight ended, metal and wood lay everywhere. Loose rails and floorboards scattered all over the deck, and the metal was charred from several rounds of Chaos Spears. But Shadow paid no attention to the mess on the ship; instead, he turned to his right, where several pirates timidly crawled out from their hiding places and stared pleadingly at him.

"Where's the nearest port?" he whispered to them.

The tall, old-ragged pirate pointed to the left. "'Tis— 'Tis that way, m-m-mister," he said, voice quivering.

"Good." Shadow looked away. "Clean up this mess. I've gotta meet with Doctor Eggman at once."

He raised the green Chaos Emerald into the air and was gone.

* * *

_**Author's Note:** Although I like college sometimes, it can be **really** bothersome forcing myself not to update any of my chaptered fics for more than a year as a result of schoolwork. Thankfully, school is out for the summer, and now I can concentrate on writing fanfics again (and hopefully finish some of my chaptered works).  
_

_Parts of my narrative are inspired after reading a require book for one of my Spring 2008 college courses, Tillie Olsen's Yonnondio: From the Thirties, especially the latter part of the chapter, which I wrote and completed last night._

_As for my fic, what do you think of the chapter? Read and review to tell me your thoughts on the chapter._


	4. Don't Find Me

_**Disclaimer:**__ Sonic the Hedgehog is copyrighted and produced by Sega. The plot is all I own here, and no profit is being distributed in any way through this story.

* * *

_

**Patching Up the Blood**

**Don't Find Me**

Where Sonic was running off to, no one knew. Even _he_ wasn't so sure where to go. But all he concentrated on was getting out of Station Square. Away from the memories. Away from his friends… But why should he? Weren't his friends supposed to _help_ him control his grief and return to being the carefree, "looking-forward" blue blur everyone on Earth admired?

No…he couldn't stay. He had to run away. He had to run far, to a place where no one could find him. But like a bungee cord, the past clashes between the late Shadow the Hedgehog and himself clung onto him, and the vast city made it difficult for him to escape.

Sonic looked at everyone around him. Despite being blurs, he could see the citizens of the big city around him. They were happy and loving to everyone and everything around them, as if they had already forgotten about the fact that their planet was almost _destroyed_! The thought annoyed him; people were not supposed to return to their normal routines a day or two after such a near catastrophe. Healing took time…but not _that_ quickly.

But what about Sonic?

How much time did _he_ have to recuperate from his "state" of mourning?

_Time… I have a lot of it. I can waste as much time as I want. Running away from Station Square, traveling to Egypt. Ya know. The stuff I always do. But I want to run a lot more._

Well, how much?

_I don't know…but I know I do._

Why?

_Because… Because I have the time. Time's endless! But if I do have time…then why can't I put the past behind me?!_

He looked up at the sky, which was clear and brilliantly blue, and turned towards the sun on his right.

_Stupid sun,_ he thought. _It burns endlessly, like it doesn't care. But why do _I_ care so much? Why can't I put my pain behind me like everyone else?_

_My friends…_

What about them, Sonic?

_For some reason, they've moved on with their lives. Tails. Knuckles. Rouge. They're mourning, or _were_ mourning, but won't let it keep 'em down. But for some reason, _I_ am! _Why me_?_

Interrupting his own thoughts, he looked away from the Sun and sighed.

_Why Amy?_

Then…disaster.

Sonic lost his footing and lunged forward, screaming from shock. Several times, he somersaulted in the air, and then, he crashed hard onto the pavement. The blue hedgehog tumbled and skidded several feet before making a complete stop on the curb in a crumpled heap.

He had no idea what hit him. One second, he was thinking about his friends' capabilities of moving on with their lives. The next, he crashed. How could he lose his footing, if he did? Sonic wasn't sure and possibly won't know what happened. What he yearned for was to get up on his two blue feet, shake off crumbles, and run out of Station Square.

But he couldn't…

Pain surging up his left side, Sonic winced and fell on his knees again. Now what was he going to do? Certainly, he was not going anywhere until he recovered.

But he wanted to and scoffed at the thought.

An injury— one that would slow him down!? Ha! No way, no how!

Wait up… What was this?!

Around him were many humans…but everyone of them _passed by him_!?

Hmph! So, _this_ was the true thanks he got, not the cheers from the space station!

As a result, a cross look scarred on Sonic's muzzle.

Who—in the _heck_—were these LOWLIFES? I mean… There he was, down on the ground, struggling to stand up like a boy hoping on a malfunctioning pogo stick. Yet, instead of helping him…they walked by…and left him there?

He spat sea-snake venom on the ground.

These humans – these _monsters_ – were pathetic.

Absolutely _pathetic_!

_Ya know…screw you! Screw you, pathetic humans! The adults, the kids. EVERY HUMAN! They can stick it for all I care!_

"Now…can…I…" a grunt, "…get…UP?"

But he couldn't and groaned loudly in frustration.

"Damn it!" he yelled and made a fist with his right hand. _I hate this, but…_ "Somebody help me stand up!"

Unfortunately, everyone ignored him.

One knee on the ground, Sonic chuckled sarcastically.

"Funny," said the hedgehog. "We worked ourselves off just to save you all…and THIS IS HOW YOU STILL TREAT US?!"

Despite the shout, every vermin paid no attention.

"Oh, so it's true, isn't it?" said Sonic. "You're just gonna let one of your own heroes lie here like trash, huh?"

No response, but the message was relayed otherwise.

"So I _am_ right, after all." He made another attempt to stand, but when he felt like collapsing again, he dove across the pavement and clutched the streetlamp. Then, as he pulled himself up the pole, he continued, "Okay, then. If that's what you want…"

When he reached the top, he breathed hard.

"…Then you humans can SHOVE IT!"

At last, everyone looked up at him, looks of surprise and shock on their faces.

"Heh. So you're finally listening to me." Sonic closed his eyes briefly. "That's funny…seeing as you weren't a minute ago. Now, don't give me that look like I don't know what I'm talking about. You _do_ know what I mean. Yes, you do!"

Murmurs rang throughout the block; Sonic smirked from above.

"Well, ya wanna know why I'm mad, or d'ya wanna ignore me again like you did a few minutes ago? You do? Well, good."

Silence.

"So you see, I – or _we_ – helped all of you. Eggman brought every one of you to your knees a few days ago. You here nearly died, along with every other Mobian, human, and animal on this great planet of ours. _However_…for a while, you mistook me for Shadow, and you were all after my head! Heck, I think some of you tried to arrest us while _knowing_ that Eggman tried to destroy us. Is that true, 'cause it damn feels like it."

"That's ridiculous!" someone shouted. "We love you! We wouldn't treat you like that!"

"Is that so? Then why didn't you help me when I was arrested by G.U.N.?"

They were silent until a young woman replied, "Because we felt you betrayed us!"

"But how could you? You know I'm not like that. And didn't you remember what I looked like? Shadow was black with red highlights with upward-bending quills. I'm blue with downward quills. We didn't look alike at all! Isn't it that hard for all of you to _understand_?"

A young male shouted an obscenity towards him.

"Hey, hold up!" said Sonic while waving his hands in front of himself. "Ya think I was gonna remain angry at you humans for so long?" When no one replied, he said with a little sarcasm, "Nope, didn't think so."

He cleared his throat.

"Anyway, I still loved you. I even wanted to hear every one of you cheer for me. Me, Tails, and Knuckles. Whoever. I waited for the welcome home. And I got it."

His eyes narrowed into slits.

"Or I _thought_ I got it."

Looks of confusion were on everyone's faces.

"So if that's how ya wanna treat me?" Sonic's green eyes were ablaze with frustration. "Well, then, the next time Eggman attacks Station Square…I won't be helping you."

Shocked and angry gasps.

"In fact…and I mean this from the bottom of my heart." The blue blur's brows furrowed even more. "I hope Eggman _does_ destroy your city someday, 'cause you humans make—me—SICK!"

Chaos erupted. From betrayal, to shock, to anger, emotions filled the crowded streets, and Sonic smirked at the sight. This was exactly what he wanted, and he loved every minute of it.

Satisfied, he leapt away and began bouncing off the other light posts (using more pressure from his right side, for his left was still a little sore).

"After him!" a hulky man burst out.

Sonic stopped on the roof of a brownstone, looked back, and noticed the mob running behind him. His smirk widened, and he waggled a finger.

"Well, what did I expect from 'em?" he chortled. "Guess they really don't love me, after all."

Laughing, he continued his escape by continually hopping over brownstones and dodging seething humans.

* * *

In order to recollect what he did, he hightailed out of the Downtown District and decided to relax under a canopy in a reclusive park in the northern part of Station Square, his body fully healed from his tumble. The tree he sat under was tall, and around him was hilly, the bright green glass glistening in the sun.

Although he didn't have a watch with him – and never did – he knew he caused a lot of damage over a short period of time. For heaven's sake, he ditched a city that "idolized" him. Of course, that translated to kicking him in the dirt while already feeling hurt inside. If he could do the Chaos Spear like his late friend, maybe he could scare them off and have them feel the torture he got from them.

No, that was too much. Why did he need to beat the humans down when they were vulnerable already? He was a hero, not a villain… Perhaps he could—

"Nah. Another bad idea," said Sonic and sighed. "I need to think of better ways to relax. I can't think."

So what could he do?

"Hmm… Maybe I need to rest for a while. Yeah. That should do."

Humming to himself, he crossed his arms and closed his eyes. All the surrounding noise was drowned out by his concentrating mind. He heard nothing, not even the leaves' rustling. It was all silent…and all black.

_Finally, peace,_ Sonic thought. _No humans, no friends, nothing…_

A chuckle: _Yep, it's great to be alone for once._

With that, he relaxed his mind even more—

Suddenly, he heard something.

It sounded like heavy footsteps, and they were becoming louder as they approached.

Great, now what was he going to do? Finally, he found a tranquil place, and now it was being disturbed. Why did he or she have to come over and bother him?

"Leave me alone, will ya!?" he snapped, eyes open.

No one replied.

"Good," Sonic said, satisfied, and drifted off to sleep once more.

There were the footsteps again.

To and fro, the pounding of feet were heard. By the sound, it was like they were crunching something. No, it was not the sound of bones; it was much quieter…like they touched something fluffy. Here it was: walk, walk, crunch, crunch.

But he didn't know what it was…yet from the back of the mind, he remembered.

_Concentrate, hedgehog. You know what this is. Open your eyes._

But his eyes were shut.

_Just relax, Sonic. Try to remember that day._

So he calmed down even more. His heart slowed, his muscles relaxed, and his eyelids drooped further down. But as much as he concentrated, he continued to "see" vast darkness.

Suddenly…daylight.

The slit was very small. It looked no bigger than about two to three inches, so there was very little he could "see." But it looked…blue. Blue like the sky. Surely, that meant something. He merely needed to concentrate on that day even more. So, Sonic, relax more (if that was possible).

Then, the slit started to open. It was slow and as irritating as a creaking door. And now he noticed more detail. While the sky was blue…little green blades protruded from below. Like a dancer, the blades rocked back and forth, side to side.

Sonic's mouth opened in the shape of an "O."

_Yeah… Yeah, I remember now!_

_**CRACK!**_

"LOOK OUT!"

Sonic's eyes opened.

"Wha—?"

_**BAM!**_

"AAHHH!"

_**CRASH!!**_

Suddenly, he found himself wedged headfirst in the soft dirt, creating a small crater in the process. His legs squirmed in the air, desperately trying to find something hard to support. When his feet finally touched the ground, Sonic started pushing. He grunted and grunted; he pushed and pushed…but he was still stuck in the mud.

Sonic sighed. This was just his day for bad karma… But that did not stop him from trying again.

"It'd be great if someone helped me," he grumbled, his voice muffled from the mud. When he heard nothing, he continued to tug…

And then, there was an extra pull, but not from the hedgehog himself.

"Gotcha."

Funny. That was a kid's voice, and he was pulling the hedgehog from the waist. And the concern from him sounded genuine, so maybe he might not get his rear whooped, after all.

"Hang on, sir!" the boy said. "You're almost free!"

_About time,_ Sonic thought, and after one more pull, his head was finally out of the ground.

"Ow," muttered Sonic and shook his head to remove any dirt that stuck itself on his forehead. He turned to the pale-skinned boy on his right, who looked no older than twelve and was about a foot taller than him, and said, "Thanks, kid."

The kid, who was on the ground, pulled himself up and turned to him. "You're welcome, sir—"

He gasped, and his eyes immediately glistened.

"You're… You're Sonic the Hedgehog, aren't you?"

"Yep," said the blue blur with a smile, forgetting his anger towards the humans, "the one and only."

"YAAY!!"

The next thing he knew, the boy's arms were squeezing the air out of his lungs.

"Oh-it's-you-Sonic! I've-been-waiting-forever-and-ever-to-meet-you!" he said excitedly and quickly.

"T—Ack—Take it easy, kid," Sonic choked.

Then, he winced.

The brown-haired boy released his grip. "What's— Hey…you're hurt." He reached out and touched the bump on Sonic's forehead.

"Ow," groaned Sonic, and the boy put his hand down. "Careful, kid."

"Sorry, Sonic," he said…and he guiltily added, "And…I'm sorry for the bump."

"What d'ya mean?" asked Sonic, right hand on the bump.

The kid showed him the baseball. "'Cause my ball hit you between the eyes."

"Oh." The hedgehog winced once again. "Stupid baseball."

The child grabbed his free left hand.

"Come with me. I'll bandage you up."

And subsequently, the blue hedgehog temporarily forgot about his newfound animosity towards his fellow humans.

* * *

A couple of minutes later, they arrived at the park bench. The tabletop and chairs were wooden and smooth, and they remained in their natural brown state. A gray sheet lay on the table, and on top of it was an old woven basket that had two handles, both of which were connected on each side.

Once the bandage was placed, the boy said, "There, that should do. Feel better?"

"I feel like I have a third eye," quipped Sonic, "but thanks."

"You're welcome," he replied and sat down. "My name's Christopher Thorndyke. You can call me Chris."

"Well, Chris, it's nice to meet you," chuckled Sonic and glanced at his bandaged lump. "By the way, why were you playing baseball? No one's here."

"Well, as I was walking here, I found a baseball lying near the Redwood Avenue station a couple of blocks from here," began Christopher; the ball rested on top of one of the doors of the basket. "So when I arrived here at Emerald Park, I decided to pitch, and I used this tree right here—" he pointed to an old maple tree to his left a few yards away; the bark was soft, and there were a couple of small cracks on the naked stem, "—as my background."

Sonic hummed out of interest.

"Well, as I pitched, I found this stick here," he continued and pulled out a thick, weathered branch from under the bench. "I don't know why I did it, but I decided to hit it as far as I could…"

He chuckled nervously.

"And that's how I met you…and your lump."

The hedgehog looked up at his lump and touched it softly. "Not a good way to meet, isn't it?"

"Not at all," replied Christopher. "But it's great to see to you, anyway."

Temporary silence.

"Chris, where are your parents?" asked Sonic. "Aren't they supposed to be with you?"

Chris sighed. "Sometimes, I wish they are with me," he replied solemnly.

Sonic's spikes perked. "Why?"

"They usually aren't home. Most of the time, they're busy on business trips. Mom's an actress, and she's usually making movie shoots with her crew in Hollopine. My dad's the chairman of a multi-billion-dollar corporation and works all day. Aside from Grandpa, my maid, and butler, I'm usually alone in our mansion."

Sonic whistled. "That's some family."

"It is. I love them very much and always like to offer help if they need it," said Christopher. "But they always insist on just letting them do the job."

"Haven't you tried to ask?"

"I did, but they tell me to relax and let them take care of everything," said Christopher.

"Do they come and visit you often?"

Christopher shook his head. "No, I only see them in the mornings and after school."

Sonic rested a hand on the side of his face. "Must be tough feeling alone all day."

"Yeah, it is." He sighed. "I wish Mom and Dad can spend some time off so we can do things together."

"How often do you see them?" asked Sonic.

"About twice a month."

"How long do they stay?"

Chris paused.

"Four hours each time," he answered solemnly.

Sonic whistled. "That's not long at all," he said and looked down.

Christopher agreed with him and sighed again. "I really miss 'em."

_Mom, Dad, I hope to see you again…soon…hopefully._

The young boy looked up at the sky. Clear, happy, and blue. What a cheery spectacle, one only a family could love…if only they were around to see them…with him.

"Sonic, you look down," said Christopher, looking at Sonic's melancholy expression, "what's the matter?"

Sonic, his head still down, looked at his gloved right hand.

He clenched into a fist.

"If only I could've saved him," he hissed.

Chris was confused.

"'Saved him'?" he queried. "Who?"

"I don't care if they may think that way," Sonic muttered, ignoring Chris's confusion, "I should've saved him."

"Sonic, are you okay?" Christopher asked again.

The blue blur jumped down from the bench, walked past him, and sat on the grass about five yards away, his body facing the plains, trees from afar, and tall skyscrapers that pierced the sky. Then, he put his head down and stared at his hands; they were still at first and then slowly began to shake.

Bewildered by his sudden reaction, Christopher got up from the bench and cautiously walked towards him. He wondered what was wrong, but also did not want to startle his new anthropomorphic friend.

Suddenly, he heard Sonic make unfamiliar noises. It sounded a lot like grunts. Soft, angry grunts.

Then, he looked at his shaky hands and trailed his blue eyes down to his shoulders.

Tears.

Tears dripping down the muzzle and onto his arm.

Sonic…was crying.

"Why'd…you have…to die?"

Sonic looked up at the blue sky, tears streaming down his face.

"WHY'D YOU MUST DIE, SHADOW?! _WHY_?!"

Sonic punched the ground, crunching the grass in the process. The pain of mourning… It was much more painful than his bump. It was not physical, but emotional…one that remained within…

Oh, of all the times it returned, why did it have to return _now_? In front of Chris, no less?

No…he couldn't be embarrassed now. The heck with some naïve child and any other stupid human that might see him! He had to let it out. He had to remove all the anger that crept up inside them…the anger he had since Shadow's death…the same anger from when he lashed out at the humans…the same anger from earlier.

Heh. Shadow. He framed Sonic then. He couldn't forgive him. He shouldn't forgive him…! But he did _and_ put their rivalry behind him.

_Shadow…_

No longer were they enemies. Instead, they were friends. But sans being former rivals and enemies, they barely knew each other.

Yet, why must he feel so anguished?

Crying over someone he used to dislike and hold a small grudge. How silly of him to think that way!

_A brave and heroic hedgehog, who gave up his life to save his planet._

These words… His eulogy for the black hedgehog.

These words… They carried so much meaning.

Meaning of friendship…and gratitude.

_Sayonara…Shadow…the Hedgehog._

Another quote, and another one of friendship.

Oh, why did he have to feel so sad? Shouldn't he feel _happy_ that Shadow was finally resting in peace instead of feeling pity for him?

Or was he pitying himself?

Whatever it was, Sonic didn't care. Shadow was gone, and Sonic was free to cry into the sky…to cry into oblivion…

Suddenly, he felt Christopher's hand touch his shoulder.

"Don't!" the hedgehog exclaimed and flinched it away from him.

Christopher slowly backed away a few feet, a frightened look on his face.

Sonic immediately realized what he did and sported a sad look on his face. But his mouth held back an apology, refusing to give Chris one. Why should he apologize to some human, even if he did help him?

No, the pride had to go for now.

Yet, when he tried to stammer the out, but his voice betrayed him again.

_Apologize, dammit!_ Sonic's subconscious roared.

At last, his pride gave up, and he sighed.

"I— I'm sorry, Chris," he stammered, eyes watery, and then turned away from him. "I gotta go."

With that, Sonic took off into the small forest surrounding the park. As he vanished, Chris watched on with a look of concern on his face.

_I hope he'll be okay.

* * *

_

Whether he upset Christopher Thorndyke or not, Sonic could not care less now. His pride had been damaged, and the sadness and anger within him was now intolerable for him to withstand. Station Square now hated him, and Sonic could look at some of the bleary faces on them, all of them being either angry or hurt. Part of him enjoyed it and hoped for them to taste a dose of disgusting medicine that they really deserved, but part of him hated what he did. How could he act like this, especially when there were folks that adored him? Should he not know better than to stereotype the whole city like that?

But he would wait to see the full effects of his words later; the memories of Shadow were too much for him to deal with, especially here where they thrived. All the incidents of Shadow occurred in this metropolis, and he soon passed by the shopping neighborhood, where his first encounter with his ex-rival took place.

Then, as more tears dripped down his face, he encountered a new emotion: frustration. And that was it! Enough was enough! Until he finally felt better, he was leaving Station Square behind. The heck with seeing a psychologist! He was going to recover _his_ way! No know-it-all bat he knew for only a couple of days nor some stupid government that tried to imprison him would decide how he would cope with Shadow's death for him. He was getting out of the city, and that was final!

And as before, in no way in heck would he let them find him! The hedgehog would run away from this city and the memories of his battles from several days ago. And if they did, he would take off and vanish even more. He would get lost and not let anyone search for him. Not Tails, not Knuckles, _nobody_! He was traveling by himself and was landing in a place for himself to find and no one else.

Not even Amy would know where he was—

Whatever happened, he hoped she understood his feelings. Aside from Tails and Eggman, Amy seemed to understand him more than anyone, and he was sure she would be okay with his decision. Of course, not right away, but eventually, she would learn…

Soon, he saw an apartment. It was a four-story building with a front blue wall and white stairs that led up to the polished brown door on the left side. On its front, three windows per row (per floor) lined up from one side to the other. The top of the building was dark brown, and it shined in the sunlight.

Sonic's eyes, now dry and no longer crying, squinted a little, especially at the second floor…

_I hope Amy's okay,_ he thought.

With a quick sprint, he jumped on a rail on a fire escape adjacent to him and leapt high into the air. As he descended, he landed on an air conditioner that stuck out from the bottom of a window of another apartment and then leapt again. A moment later, he arrived at the outside sill of the second-floor middle window, which was draped in white.

He knocked on it.

"Amy?"

No one replied.

"Amy?" He knocked again. "It's me, Sonic."

Silence.

Sonic became confused…and worried.

So he pushed on the window up, and it budged.

"Is she all right?" he whispered to himself and pushed it all the way up.

Then, with a hand, he swiped the drape away from his face, and his eyes peered into the bedroom/living room, only to find out it was dark. When he looked down, he noticed the bed was prepared and free of wrinkles.

"Amy?" he called into the empty room, only to receive nothing in reply.

Confused, Sonic jumped off the windowsill and landed in the middle of the room. His head wandered around, only to see darkness and hear quietness. As he continued to explore the empty apartment, the blue hedgehog scratched his head: Amy was supposed to be picked up at noon, and according to the clock, it was only a little after ten. Why was she not here?

Was she all right? Did she step outside for fresh air…only to get lost, injured…or kidnapped?

No, impossible. Silly! She wasn't a great fighter, but she could defend herself. Surely, she was nearby. He knew it. He could sense it!

Perhaps she merely went out to shop, maybe the little coffee area about a couple of blocks away from here.

_Yeah, that's where she is!_

With that, Sonic slowly walked back towards the bed, but as he prepared to jump out and search, he glanced at the table on his left and saw something unfamiliar standing on the tabletop.

"A letter?"

In the middle of a clean table was a pink card with a blue trimming around the outside, and it faced the living room/bedroom, as if expecting someone to search for her there.

Wondering what it was, the teenager walked towards the table, picked up the card, and began to read it.

_Dear Sonic,_

_If you're reading this, you already know that I'm not home right now. That's because I won't be going to the psychiatrist with you today. I'm running away, and I'm running far away from here._

_Sonic, I can't handle this pain anymore. I'm mourning Shadow's death, and I feel sick of it! I'm crying my eyes out, and being here in Station Square is making the pain worse. I can't recover while living here; I need some time alone. And I can't let anyone find me, not even you, Sonic. Even if you might not understand how I'm feeling right now, please try._

_But don't worry about me. I'll be fine, and I will return home someday. I just need a breath of fresh air right now._

_Tell the others that I'm leaving, but I'll be okay. I love them just as much as you, Sonic, and hope they'll understand me. See you soon._

_Love, Amy_

_P.S.: Don't find me. If you or anyone else does, I'm running away even further.  
_


End file.
